


All's Fair in Love and War

by forbiddenist



Category: Free!
Genre: Everyone crushing on Rin, I don't know what I'm writing, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Polyamory, Rin is an oblivious shoujo heroine, Slow Build, ok maybe not EVERYONE
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-23 16:29:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4883776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forbiddenist/pseuds/forbiddenist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All's Fair in Love and War. </p>
<p>Only not really.<br/>Also known as that one fic where everyone is trying to get into Rin's pants. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <i>He had definitely not planned to fall in love, at the tender age of twelve, with a boy the same age as him nonetheless, in such an abrupt manner. But as he continued staring at that angelic smiling face, he realized that he wasn't the only one staring. </i></p>
            </blockquote>





	All's Fair in Love and War

**All's Fair in Love and War (kinda)**

 

_In which everyone is crushing on Matsuoka Rin._

At first glance, twelve year old Matsuoka Rin would come across as confident, extroverted and charming, if not slightly arrogant. He was all fair skin and red hair that turned pink in the sunlight, and when he smiled, it felt as if time stopped just to wait for his mirth to pass.

And so twelve year old Nanase Haruka didn't stand a chance, standing instead frozen in place, blue eyes shining as his pupils dilated, a light blush almost unnoticeable on his creamy cheeks.

He had definitely not planned to fall in love, at the tender age of twelve, with a boy the same age as him nonetheless, in such an abrupt manner. But as he continued staring at that angelic smiling face, he realized that he wasn't the only one staring.

 

\--

 

Tachibana Makoto had always loved Rin's smile. It was open and care-free and energetic and just stunning in its brilliance.

The twelve year old Tachibana Makoto had always thought it was just a thing about Rin that he liked, but as he hung out with the redhead more and more, he'd realized that it wasn't just that disarming smile or that approachable demeanor that had him wanting to spend more time with the then also twelve year old Matsuoka Rin.

He would have written it off as a temporary physical attraction if it didn't last all the way till the other boy left, only to come back full force when he returned, grown up and beautiful, albeit with added prickle and bite.

Surely that build and face had to be illegal.

 

\--

 

"Rin has a nice smile."

Makoto nearly choked on his mouthful of water as he processed the random comment that his best friend had dropped on him.

They were now seventeen going on eighteen, but talking about childhood friends' smiles had never been a thing before, at least not until this particular sunny afternoon, after the inter high, during one of the now semi common Iwatobi-Samezuka joint practices, with the very childhood friend they were talking about nigh three meters away from them, engaged in conversation with his silver-haired junior.

Haru frowned, leaning back as he sank in his seat on the bench, eyeing the short teen distastefully.

"I don't like him."

It didn't take much deduction to know who he was referring to.

Makoto sighed, but silently agreed.

It was petty, but neither of them could stand the fact that Rin was comfortable calling the boy "Ai", nor that the boy practically threw himself at their childhood friend. Admiration and respect had limits, damn it.

For some odd reason, the red head looked over to the two now sulking teens, a bright smile on his handsome face, before walking over and putting his hands on his hips, his smile turning into a playful smirk as he leaned his weight on one leg in the most appealing manner either Haruka or Makoto could fathom, his voice smooth and clear, like a dinner bell.

"I could feel your gazes stabbing into me from over there, so what's up?"

Well, it wasn't exactly what they wanted to stab him with but it would do.

Both of the boys he was speaking to had snapped out of their torturously blissful reverie and froze, Makoto trying to think of a semi-believable excuse and Haru attempting to collect himself as Makoto thought of an excuse.

Rin let out a happy sound that sounded like a giggle as he watched their expressions, a sound that made both Makoto and Haru's heart quicken just slightly, in a not at all platonic way.

"You should look at your faces, they look constipated. Were you guys talking bad about me behind my back?"

And at that moment Haruka remembered why he had kept his feelings a secret from Rin all these years.

Matsuoka Rin was a somewhat, if not very, mean.

The free style swimmer didn't want to give the redhead the satisfaction of knowing that the raven was in fact, head over heels for him. As much as he desired the redhead to be writhing under him and screaming in pleasure, his ego was just that little bit stronger.

Rin snorted, and was about to say something else as his expression softened when that annoying first year started calling him over for whatever reason.

Haruka's cool gaze turned frosty as he watched Nitori drag a somewhat reluctant Rin away by his arm, and when he turned to Makoto he realized that the brunet had pretty much the same expression, which was extremely uncharacteristic of the backstroke swimmer. Haruka then started to realize that Makoto could actually be an actual threat when it came to his feelings for their childhood friend.

But as of right now, they were brothers in arms.

Nagisa had walked by a bit later, and laughed at them.

 

\--

 

Nitori Aiichirou actually quite disliked joint practices with Iwatobi.

Every time they had joint practice, he had always felt two sets of icy cold gazes follow him everywhere. At first he had dismissed it as his imagination, but the glares seemed to cut him especially hard when he was with Rin.

Three weeks and two practices later he had concluded that he was getting the hostile vibes from none other than Nanase Haruka and Tachibana Makoto, his beloved senpai's precious childhood friends.

Not that he blamed them.

He had come to believe that they saw him as a threat to their friendship, that if Rin spent his time with him, he wouldn't be able to spend more time with them; and who wouldn't want to spend time with Rin-senpai, really!

He was moody at times, sure, but he had cheered up so much after that memorable event, and Nitori couldn't be more thankful to the Iwatobi swim team for making it so. It did make him slightly bitter that he wasn't the one that spurred the redheaded epitome of perfection to change, but that he did change in the first place made Nitori as happy as a tap dancing duck.

"Ai, could you pass me my towel?"

And Nitori held his breath, his eyes running appreciatively over the taut expanse of inexplicably fair skin that covered those beautiful muscles on that stunning frame, the light maroon hair darkened by water to a rich wine red that clung to that face that had to have been sculpted by the angels themselves, with those perfect cheekbones and full lips and smoldering eyes -

"Ai, are you listening?"

-the water dripping from his chin and sliding down his well defined chest -

"Hey, Ai!"

Nitori was pulled back to reality only when Rin snapped his fingers in his face, leaning past him with a small huff to take his own towel from the bench behind the younger boy.

Nitori sighed.

Even the way he dried his hair was absolutely captivating.

The redhead rolled his eyes, taking a sip of water before making his way to the showers, a journey which Nitori was giddy to accompany him on.

 

\--

 

Yamazaki Sousuke would argue that he knew Rin better than anyone else, and that Rin was his friend before anyone else's.

It was during Japanese History class on a hot summer afternoon as he doodled a (in his opinion) very impressive shark on his textbook, that he realized the possessiveness he felt for the then-absent from his life Matsuoka Rin was no where near normal.

He was ridiculously in love with him.

So when he stood at the front of the classroom in his third year of high school with his sudden transfer to Samezuka Gakuen (he'd done his research), he searched for those warm ruby eyes, and was caught between delight and relief when his name left those perfect lips.

"Sousuke?"

He smiled.

 

\--

 

"Senpai, do you have plans on Saturday?"

Rin looked contemplative, then his face scrunched up in an ridiculously endearing way, as if he was trying to remember something but couldn't, before he finally replied a positive - he had to visit Haru's house to return a DVD and he'd told Makoto he would join them for movie night.

Nitori sighed, his disappointment evident on his face, before he heard a small sigh and felt a warm hand ruffling his hair; he thought his heart would stop from the warmth.

And then that familiar sensation of extremely unfriendly stares pierced and burst his bubble of glee.

"Rin, let's go back to our room."

The red head turned and met gazes with his best friend, who greeted him with a light kick to the back of his knee.

"Yeah, gimme a sec." Rin waved the taller boy off, returning his attention to Nitori to see if there was anything else he needed.

The dark glare from behind Rin made sure he did not.

Sousuke hooked an arm around Rin's neck, a small look of triumph on his face as he pulled the boy away, chuckling lowly as the redhead whined childishly.

"I can't breath, Sousuke!!"

"That's what you get for ignoring me."

"I did not!!!"

"You flipped me off!"

"Did not!"

Their conversation continued down the hallway.

Nitori shivered, but then felt like laughing and crying at the same time.

 

\--

 

When movie night came, nobody told Matsuoka Rin that they would be watching sappy movies.

They were seventeen year old BOYS for crying out loud, not wussy girls! If he'd wanted a wussy movie night he would have stayed home with Kou, and what's more, on one of his precious Saturdays.

"God this is stupid." The redhead murmured into the fluffy shark plush that Makoto and Haru had gotten him for his birthday that he had conveniently left at Haru's place, because he will not be caught dead by his school mates (especially Sousuke) cuddling the crap out of it.

Makoto, being the ridiculously attentive person he was, noticed Rin's little outburst, and leaned closer to him until their shoulders were flush against each other.

"Rin, what's wrong?"

At this, Haru, who was seated on Rin's other side, also looked over, that same apathetic expression on his face dusted with a hint of interest.

Rin blushed, uncomfortable now that he had both of their attention, resorting to burying his face in his toy as he grunted out a negative, and bravely and very masculine-ly sat through one hour and fifteen minutes of watching a boy try and save a stupid killer whale.

Makoto was very happy when it ended, tearing up and all; Haru looked unimpressed as usual, and Rin calmly, while definitely not sniffling, suggested that they watch something from another genre for their second movie.

So proceeded one hundred and thirty minutes of Rin being very excited as he watched a giant shark devour people with Makoto shrieking in terror and clinging to his shoulder and Haru watching in silence as his hand sneakily slipped into Rin's.

It was a sleepover anyway, and there was no school the next day, so they decided to continue with a third movie, this time of Haru's choice.

The next ninety minutes were spent watching a dolphin and a little boy get into dangerous situations. By this time, Rin was almost passing out, his head lolling from side to side, until he felt a gentle hand guide his head onto a muscular shoulder to rest. He would have blushed if wasn't so sleepy, so he just closed his eyes and dozed.

After Rin's breathing evened out, Makoto glared over at Haru.

"That's not fair! You're already holding his hand!" He half-whispered, pouting a little bit.

Haruka didn't speak, but his lip twitched upward in reply.

The tall brunet huffed, tightening his hold on Rin's arm (that he was surprised was still allowed to be where it was throughout the whole of the last movie). Rin shifted, trying to find comfortable position on Haruka's shoulder, only making the black-haired boy's (who was attached to said arm) almost-smile grow.

Makoto's frown deepened, but laced his fingers with Rin's idle ones in retaliation, before hesitantly bringing it to his lips and pressing a light kiss on the back of his hand.

Haru's eyes narrowed, tilting his head and using his free hand to angle the sleeping boy's face upward, kissed shark boy full on the lips.

When he pulled back, Makoto's mouth was hanging open and his glasses sliding off his face, and Haruka had to hold back his laughter as the taller boy sputtered before pressing forward and pressing his own lips against the redhead's, pulling away alarmed when Rin groaned sleepily.

"What're you guys doing...?"

The two other boys froze, watching Rin mechanically as he pulled away from the both of them and scooped up his shark plush, mumbling to himself.

"I'm going to head to sleep first yeah. Night."

It was another minute before either of them spoke.

"....he didn't realize..." Makoto began, his cheeks now flaming red.

"No." Haruka supplied quickly, turning off the television and DVD player, before following Makoto to his room where Rin was now curled up in a futon with his plush toy looking as angelic as angels came.

Haruka sneakily took a photo, and Makoto made a face as he watched him, but snuck one too a bit later, at which Haruka rolled his eyes at.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> A little thing I had stewing in my head for a really long time.  
> I really don't know who to marry Rin off to between my main ships so I really just winged this. Momotarou will make his grand appearance in later chapters.


End file.
